Help Will Always Be Given
by EmberForge
Summary: Filius Flitwick wasn't expecting the first night of the new school year to end like this.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a hectic first night back at Hogwarts for Professor Filius Flitwick. Shortly before the students were scheduled to arrive on the Hogwarts Express he had received an urgent letter from one of his second year Ravenclaws informing him that she had missed the train. He had floo'd to the station practically as soon as he had finished the letter, but to his dismay the girl was nowhere to be found. It had taken him nearly half an hour to discover that she had hidden herself in a corner of the Muggle side of King's Cross, having been to scared to just wait on the empty platform. He had floo'd her to Hogwarts and sent her off to the feast, but by the time he had written a letter to her parents to inform them of what had happened, he was dismayed to find that the feast was over.

It was when he was hurrying across the Entrance Hall on his way to the kitchens to grab a quick meal that he heard a strange noise over the sound of his footsteps. Stopping to listen more intently, he was shocked to hear what sounded like crying. He carefully followed the sound until he found himself at an alcove near the dungeon stairs. The sight that greeted him was not quite what he expected.

There was a young Slytherin girl (a first year, judging by the fact that Flitwick didn't recognize her) trying to muffle the sound of her sobs in the sleeve of her robe. But that wasn't the most surprising part. The girl was sitting in a wheelchair- something he had never before seen at Hogwarts.

He was snapped out of his momentary surprise by the sound of her sniffling. Not wanting her distress to continue any longer than was necessary, Flitwick softly cleared his throat. "Miss, what are you doing out here?"

The girl started at the sound of his voice, hastily rubbing her red-rimmed eyes and meeting his gaze with a slightly fearful expression. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be up here alone so late, I'm not causing trouble or anything I swear, I..."

"It's alright, you're not in any trouble," Flitwick said gently, trying to calm the girl. "I'm just curious as to why you're not with the rest of your housemates."

"I... kind of got left behind, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, during the feast I had been sitting at the front of the table, furthest away from the doors, and when everyone was dismissed I couldn't get past the crowds of people. So I had to wait until nearly everyone was out of the Hall, but by then my house was gone, and I didn't see where they went. I had heard that Slytherins were in the dungeons, but even if I knew where, I couldn't get down there if I wanted to, not with all of those stairs in the way..."

Flitwick frowned. "Well that was most inconsiderate of your housemates, wasn't it?" It certainly wasn't like Slytherins to do something like that to one of their own, either purposefully or accidentally. ' _If only Severus were here'_ , Flitwick mused to himself. He never would have let this happen in the first place!

It was unfortunate that the younger man had to miss the first few weeks of term in order to harvest incredibly rare potions ingredients that were only in season once every ten years. Silas McVale was perfectly qualified to fill in for him as a potions professor, but he was a bit absent when it came to dealing with his temporary head of house duties.

"Well then, I'll be glad to escort you to your common room."

The girl looked puzzled. "But how will I get down the stairs? I don't suppose there's a lift nearby."

Flitwick gave her a mischievous smile. "No, I have something much better in mind. How do you feel about flying?"

The girl had been quiet the entire time Flitwick had been levitating her down the stairs, but he knew from the awed expression on her face that it wasn't a fearful or unhappy silence. It was only when they had finally made it to the correct floor and had started to twist their way through the dungeon corridors that she spoke again.

"I just realized, I never told you my name, did I? I'm Anna Lewis."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Lewis. My name is Professor Flitwick, and I'm the Charms professor here at Hogwarts, as well as head of Ravenclaw house."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Professor."

In a few minutes they had finally made it to the entrance of the Slytherin common rooms. Flitwick pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill from his pocket, scribbling something on it before skillfully folding it into a paper airplane. He tapped it with his wand and muttered a spell, then handed it to Anna. "When you get inside the common room, throw this. It will find a fifth year girl named Beatrice Veers. She's one of my advanced Charms students, and she'll help you get to classes for the next few days while I work out a more permanent solution to let you get around on your own."

"I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along, Professor. I hope I haven't kept you from anything important."

"It was no problem at all, Miss Lewis," Flitwick replied. "Now, in order to get into the Slytherin common room, you need the password. Luckily for you, I happen to know that the current password is _bezoar_." As he spoke, the entrance to the common room opened. "Make sure that you never share the password with anyone other than your fellow Slytherins. Other than that, I think you should be fine. Because the Slytherin common room isn't located in a tower, there shouldn't be any more stairs, so I believe this is where I will leave you. Goodnight, Miss Lewis."

"Goodnight, Professor." She wheeled herself halfway across the threshold before she paused. "And thank you. For everything."

Flitwick smiled at her. "It's my pleasure, Miss Lewis."


	2. Chapter 2

**-THREE WEEKS LATER-**

"Class dismissed."

Students quickly began to pack up their things and make their way out of the Charms classroom. Flitwick scanned the crowd of first years in search of a familiar face, and raised his voice a little to be heard over the noise as he requested, "Miss Lewis, might I have a word?"

The girl looked up from packing her things into her book bag and smiled. "Of course, Professor. Just let me go tell Beatrice that I'm going to be a minute."

"Why don't you invite her in? This pertains to her as well."

"Okay." Anna waited until the rest of the students filed out before disappearing into the hall. She came back a few moments later with a smiling blonde fifth year in tow. "Anna said you have some news for us, Professor?" Beatrice questioned.

"That's right. So as you know, Miss Lewis, I've been attempting to figure out a way to make it so that you can get around the castle without the need of assistance."

Anna nodded.

"Well, I've been working with Professor Babbling on the problem - she's the Ancient Runes professor - and I believe we've come up with a solution."

"Really?" Beatrice asked. "That's wonderful!"

Flitwick wordlessly waved his wand and summoned over a copper sheet about the size of a piece of paper. He handed it to Anna, and on closer inspection she found that dozens of ruins were intricately carved into its surface. "How does it work?"

"The ruins inscribed on the copper sheet act as a sort of anchor, to permanently hold the spells in place. I'll simply fix the sheet onto the back of your chair, and once I activate the spell work, you should be able to move up and down stairs without the need of assistance."

Anna silently handed the metal back, and with a nod the professor moved behind her to begin working. The was a sharp clang as the metal stuck into place, and Anna heard Professor Flitwick start to chant. Anna saw a flash of bright light reflect in Beatrice's glasses, who had been standing in front of Anna and smiling in excitement the entire time. It seemed to be a good thing, as Flitwick stopped chanting and hummed in satisfaction.

"Excellent! The spell work appears to be functioning perfectly." Anna turned to face the professor. "Now to test it. Miss Lewis, if you would be so kind as to try to climb those steps?" He indicated the series of raised platforms where the desks were located. "Just keep moving towards them, and you should start to ascend as you reach the stairs."

Anna rolled towards the stairs, feeling a sense of déjà vu as memories of getting to Platform 9 3/4 flooded her mind. However, just like passing safely through the brick wall, as she reached the first stair she felt her chair start to ascend instead of crashing. She smiled, making her way all the way to the highest point in the classroom before turning around to see the elated duo looking up at her from below. "It works!" She made her way back to them, where Beatrice immediately moved over to hug the younger girl in delight.

Anna looked over to Flitwick, who was watching the pair with sparkling eyes and a kind smile. "Thank you, Professor. Again."

"I'm glad I could help, Miss Lewis. And really, it was a wonderful bit of charm work to figure out. I do enjoy a challenge, as does Professor Babbling. I know you still have some time yet, but you should consider her class when you're a third year."

"I'd love to learn how this works - so I think I might just have to now!"

"Professor Babbling really is an incredible teacher, I think you'd love her." Beatrice added in, smiling.

Anna again focused back on the fifth year. "And thank you so much for all of your help, Beatrice. I know you don't need to hang around with me anymore, now that I can get around again, but I was hoping... well, can we still be friends?"

"Of course, Anna!" Beatrice hugged her once more. "I really enjoy spending time with you. And I'm still waiting to borrow that copy of _Fahrenheit 451_. I need to see if it lives up to your review!"

Anna grinned. "Oh, it does! You know what, I have a free period right now, let me go get it for you before I forget again..." The two turned towards the door, already engrossed in a new conversation.

"Bye, Professor Flitwick!" The girls chimed in unison as they left. The professor smiled at their retreating backs, closing the door behind them before preparing to tackle some grading before his next class.


	3. Chapter 3

Professor Flitwick quite liked the library on Saturdays. Students were still lounging around in their common rooms this early in the morning, leaving the space blissfully empty- perfect for an undisturbed search.

He was taking the time that Madam Pince had stepped out in order to peruse the shelves without her sharp gaze tracking him everywhere he went. Not that he had a problem with the woman, of course, unlike many of the students… but even he couldn't deny that her stare was unsettling. He had just about located the book he had been searching for when he heard noise from a few rows away.

 _"Almost..."_

There was suddenly a loud thud and a muttered curse. Worriedly, Flitwick made his way through the shelves until he found the origin of the voice. It was none other than Anna Lewis, holding her head in one hand with a pained expression on her face.

"Oh my, what's happened?!"

Anna looked up at the sound of his voice, giving him a slightly forced smile. "Hello Professor. I didn't know you were in here." She glanced at the wand that was laying a little ways away from her chair, a fallen book spread open on the floor beside it. "I was trying to grab a book from the shelves, but it was just a little bit out of reach. So I tried to use my wand to pull it out from the shelf, but I ended up knocking it down instead..." She shifted her hand, and Flitwick was slightly alarmed to see blood peeking through her fingers.

"Miss Lewis, you're bleeding!"

She brought her hand down to look at the red on her fingers, grimacing and bringing it back up to her forehead. "That's not good..."

"Would you mind if I take a look?" Flitwick asked the girl. At her nod, he pulled out a chair from the table nearby, standing on it so that he was slightly above her. He gently tilted her head towards the light in order to see the injury better. "Hmmm..." he said after a moment. "I believe it looks worse than it really is. Not bad enough for a trip to the Hospital Wing, at any rate. I can heal you with a quick charm right here. If I may?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, stay still for a moment. This might sting a little."

He preformed the charm, and Anna winced as the cut on her forehead knit itself back together. When it was finished, Flitwick gave his wand another wave, and the blood on her forehead and hand vanished. He gave her a smile. "There, good as new!"

Anna touched her forehead, smiling back when she felt smooth skin. "Thank you, sir."

"You're quite welcome. But I must ask, why didn't you ask for assistance?"

Anna's face fell, and she looked down at her lap. "No one was around. Well, I didn't know anyone was, anyways," she said, meeting Flitwick's gaze. "And..." She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I don't like asking for help. Not if I can do it on my own."

A look of understanding flashed across Flitwick's eyes. "I see. Well, please endeavor to be more careful next time," he said.

"I will, sir."

"Good." He hopped off of the chair he had been standing on, then stooped down to pick up her wand and book. He took a moment to consider the title, '101 Useful Household Charms,' before handing it back to her, an idea forming in his head. "Are you busy after lunch today?"

"I don't believe so."

"Excellent! I believe I have something that would interest you. Would you mind stopping by my office, say, around one?"

Curious as to what the professor had in mind, Anna nodded.

"I will see you then, Miss Lewis." Flitwick said. "Please try to keep out of trouble, and do avoid making enemies out of any more books."

The comment, as intended, made Anna grin. "I'll try my best, professor!"

There was a knock at Flitwick's door at one o'clock sharp. It swung open with a wave of his wand, and Anna wheeled herself into his classroom. "Hello, Professor," she said.

"Miss Lewis! I'm glad you were able to come by," Flitwick said. He went over to his pile of books, skimming along them until he found the one he wanted. With practiced ease, he pulled the book from the middle of the pile without toppling it over. He then flipped the book open to the correct page and brought it over to Anna, handing it to her. "Here is what I wanted you to see."

Her eyebrows rose as she scanned the page. "A summoning charm, sir? Why?"

"Your incident in the library this morning reminded me of when I was young and had the same problem. I thought you might like to learn a safer way to be able to access things that are out of your reach. I still find it invaluable to this day. Most importantly, it doesn't require the assistance of anyone else."

"I…" An indecipherable emotion passed through Anna's eyes. "I'd like that very much, sir."

"Excellent! We can begin now, if you'd like?" At her enthusiastic nod, he continued. "Now, the summoning spell, pronounced _Accio_ , uses an arcing wand movement, like so…"


End file.
